TFC, AFI employees, and Fil-Am community pledge to continue Gina Lopez’ work

DALY CITY — This was Gina Lopez last January, speaking to a room full of supporters at the TFC headquarters in Daly City.

Lopez discussed community initiatives from her program iLove — or Investments in Loving Organizations for Village Economies.

She emphasized the need to create environmentally conscious businesses to help lift Philippine towns and villages out of poverty.

“You can have so much money, but at the end of the day, if you’re not improving people’s lives, they’re the ones who are ravaging the environment and their lives must be improved if they must protect it.”

In the same room, relatives of Lopez, along with TFC employees and members of the community gather to pay respects to the long-time environmentalist and philanthropist.

Jerry Bennett, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation international and his predecessor Jo Ann Kyle spoke about how they plan to continue Lopez’s work.

“I believe that the essence and spirit of Gina Lopez did not die with her. It lives on in the foundation. Her legacy lives on through the foundation. The work doesn’t stop as we will always have the poor with us.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone who can replace her. There’s only one gina. But I know that with her help, we will all be able to do what she dreams of for the country which is to help the poor.”

Another initiative Lopez supported is the Pride for PH campaign — which aims to promote environmental sustainability in the Philippines.

Pride for PH is led by Filipino Americans like ABS-CBN executive producer Beverly Desuiasido, who said will she will use what she learned from Lopez to accomplish their goals.

With the help from supporters of Lopez’s iLove programs, the Pride for PH inaugural project has begun area redevelopment in Tublay, Benguet.

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